Mommy rocks

MANILA, Philippines—Each guitar, electric or acoustic, has a special significance for her. Rocker-mom Barbie Almalbis-Honasan has 14 in her ever-growing collection and she lovingly tends to each one.

She proudly holds up the first electric guitar given by her parents when she was a high school senior.

“It’s a Fender Stratocaster,” she relates. “My parents are very supportive of my music.”

Another present from mom and dad is a black Parker Fly. “I used it during my days with [the band] Hungry Young Poets in the 1990s. It’s lightweight but durable.”

A more recent acquisition, a Paul Reed Smith (PRS) Hollow Body, is a gift from husband, visual artist Martin Honasan.

“He gave it to me when I was pregnant with our firstborn, Stina,” she recalls.

Barbie was five months heavy with Stina when she went on tour in the United States, “with the doctor’s go-signal,” of course. “But I needed a lighter guitar. The PRS was only four pounds, half the weight of my usual guitar. We got it at a store in the United States.”

Last year, she picked up a red-and-white Fender Telecaster. “I got surprised because I usually use a Strat, but I fell in love with the Telecaster when I tried it. Its voice is different. More twangy. More organic.”

She gets some of her guitar and pedals from PhilMusic, a local online community where musicians buy and sell, or trade their gear.

She bought a used Gibson electric through a friend, Jack Rufo. She recently signed up with local firm D&D which gave her three acoustic guitars.

Ramon Jacinto also gifted her with an RJ Super Vintage after she did shows with him two years ago. “It’s a prototype. I love it because it can make nine sounds. It’s like a combination of a Strat and a Humbucker.”

Filipino guitar maker Max Rufo crafted a violet electric guitar especially for Barbie. “It’s custom-made and one-of-a-kind,” she says.

By watching instructional videos and doing research on the Internet, Barbie learned to troubleshoot her own instruments: “I used to send my guitars to a shop, but now I know how to solder, modify and fix them on my own.”

She designed her own guitar, an Elegee—which is painted with a red rose and a cityscape.

Another skill she acquired on the Net is recording music at home.

Her new 11-track CD, “Goodbye My Shadow,” was mostly recorded at home, with her laptop and a few mics.

The way she remembers it, laying down the voice and guitar tracks took a lot of “trial and error.”

“I had no idea how to go about it. I did a lot of research online and asked friends who are sound engineers,” she recounts.

The music video of “Goodbye” was shot at home, too, by director Luigi Tabuena.

The song “Goodbye My Shadow,” she explains, was written years ago, when she was at a “turning point” in her life.

“It speaks of new beginnings,” she says. In a lot of ways, the song’s message is still very much relevant to her now because the CD celebrates a series of firsts.

It’s her first all-original studio recording since 2005. It also features her first collaboration with bass player Karel Honasan (who’s also her brother-in-law) and drummer Alden Abaca.

It marks Barbie’s return to the music scene after getting married and giving birth to 3-year-old Stina and 10-month-old son Liam Israel.

She was pregnant with Liam when she started recording and only took a break when she gave birth last June. After which she went back to work to finish the album. “Liam was in the studio with me,” she says.

The album’s title track can be downloaded (with a voluntary contribution) from her site (barbiealmalbis.com). But her record label 12 Stone (owned by her manager Tommy Tanchangco) is also releasing the CD the traditional way (in record bars), with Star Records as distributor.

“People listen and buy music online now. As an artist, I want to share my music to as many listeners as possible,” she says.

Quite naturally, her kids are showing signs of musicality this early.

“I also played music to them when they were in my tummy,” she notes. “Stina has written a few three-liner songs. She sings all the time. She’d be talking and would break into song instantly. She likes playing the drums.”

Liam has the makings of a musician, too.

“Two weeks ago, Liam had a musical milestone. He was saying, ‘Ta-Ta.’ But I noticed it had a certain beat. Last week, may tono na! I think he’ll pick up the guitar someday. His eyes light up whenever I strum my guitar kasi.”

Barbie and Martin involve the kids in their respective professions.

“Stina would often paint with her dad in his studio,” she says.

On the day of the Living Stars visit, Stina’s art works were still drying on the floor of Martin’s studio.

Martin is preparing for his first one-man show in October and, quite naturally, his wife often acts as his muse.

“We hope to start our own art collection, too,” she says.

Most of the artworks (aside from the Malangs) are done by Martin’s young artist-friends: Carlo Ongchangco and LJ Abiola-Sy.

Providentially, the couple’s jobs are home-based, allowing them to indulge in hands-on parenting.

“Most of my gigs are at night. So I get to spend daytime with the kids. Also, Martin’s studio is at home. So we get to hang out all the time,” she says.

She juggles the guitar and the feeding bottle quite effortlessly. Her being a musician and mother inform and enrich each other: “In my new album, I included the song ‘Child of Mine,’ which I wrote when I was pregnant with Stina. The other songs are about my experiences as a wife and mother.”

Barbie utilizes music to teach Stina basic school lessons as well. “I taught her the alphabet and numbers through song. I also taught her how to fix her toys with the help of music. It really works for her,” the rocker-mom says.

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